The Men of Soul tour featuring Jeffrey Osborne, Freddie Jackson, Peabo Bryson and Howard Hewett slow jams down to Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino on November 14 at 7 p.m. Tickets on sale now.
Born in Rhode Island, Jeffrey Osborne was the youngest of 12 children in a musical household headed by Clarence “Legs” Osborne, a popular trumpeter who played with Lionel Hampton, Count Basie, and Duke Ellington. He began his professional singing career in 1969 with the popular funk and soul group Love Men Ltd (later renamed just L.T.D). After more than ten years with the band, he pursued a solo career that brought him five gold and platinum albums and produced such Top 40 hits as “Don’t You Get So Mad,” “Stay with Me Tonight,” and “Love Power,” which he performed with Dionne Warwick.
He also recorded an album of duets with popular singer James Ingram and scored an international hit with “On the Wings of Love” in 1982.
Freddie Jackson dominated the R&B charts in the late ’80s and early ’90s with sophisticated, romantic soul ballads and urban contemporary dance fare. Harlem-born Jackson, like so many soul stars, was trained as a gospel singer at an early age. He joined the LJE (Laurence-Jones Ensemble) and played the New York club scene eventually serving as a backup singer for Melba Moore after she caught his nightclub act. In 1985, Jackson’s platinum debut album, Rock Me Tonight and its title single spent six weeks at #1 and made Jackson an instant sensation. Other hits included “You Are My Lady,” “He’ll Never Love You (Like I Do)” and “Love Is Just a Touch Away.” His 1986 platinum follow-up Just Like the First Time came on the heels of a number one R&B duet with Melba Moore, “A Little Bit More” (from her album A Lot of Love). “Tasty Love,” “Have You Ever Loved Somebody,” and “Jam Tonight” all hit #1, while “I Don’t Want to Lose Your Love” went to #2. Jackson’s success continued in 1988 with the release of Don’t Let Love Slip Away, which featured two more R&B chart-toppers in “Nice and Slow” and “Hey Lover”. In 1990, the release Do Me Again had “Love Me Down” and the title track both reach #1 with “Main Course” topping out at #2. Other Jackson releases include Here It Is (1984), Private Party (1995) Life After 30 (1999) Live in Concert (2000) It’s Your Move (2004) and Personal Reflections (2005) and Transitions (2006).
Peabo Bryson was among the premier silky-voiced soul artists who emerged as the softer, more sophisticated urban contemporary became dominant in the ’70s and ’80s. Bryson, who was born in Greenville, South Carolina sang with Al Freeman & the Upsetters in 1965, and was in the group Moses Dillard & the Tex-Town Display from 1968 to 1973. His self-titled, debut LP and several singles including “Do It with Feeling,” “Underground Music,” “It’s Just a Matter of Time,” “Just Another Day,” and “I Can Make It Better” all were moderate R&B hits. In 1978, his first album for Capitol, Reaching for the Sky, went gold and the title track was a top ten R&B hit. Bryson continued a prolific career, both as lead act and duet participant. He made hit duets with Natalie Cole, Roberta Flack, Melissa Manchester and Regina Belle. In 1984, he released the hit “If Ever You’re in My Arms Again.” Other subsequent efforts included Can You Stop the Rain (1991); Through the Fire (1994) and Unconditional Love (1999) In 2007, he incorporated the smooth jazz into his comeback album, Missing You.
Howard Hewett is considered one of the most talented soul singers of the past two decades. The Ohio native grew-up on the gospel circuit, appeared on Soul Train and ultimately became the lead singer of Shalamar. The group’s top hits included “The Second Time Around,” “Full of Fire,” “Dead Giveaway,” “Dancing in the Sheets,” This is for the Lover in You” and “A Night to Remember.” In the ’80s, Hewett’s solo career rocketed. His first solo single, “I’m For Real,” zoomed to #1. A series of hits followed such as “Stay,” “I Commit to Love,” “Strange Relationship,” “Once, Twice, Three Times” and “Show Me.” What’s more, his original “Say Amen” earned the status of a modern gospel classic, enjoying across the board airplay. And, his recorded duets with Anita Baker, Dionne Warwick, Brenda Russell and Stacy Lattisaw won critical acclaim. Other Hewett hits include the original compositions “How Do I Know I Love You?” and “Just To Keep You Satisfied” and the albums It’s Time (1994), The Journey (2001, If Only (2007) and Howard Hewett Christmas (2008).
Tickets cost $79, $59 and $39*; All seats are reserved and available at the Hard Rock Live Box Office, open Tuesday – Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and on Sunday & Monday – only open on event days at noon. Tickets also are available at all Ticketmaster outlets online at www.ticketmaster.com or charge by phone: 1-800-745-3000. Doors open one-hour prior to show start time. *Additional fees may apply.